Much has changed since democracy emerged 2,500 years ago. Women vote. We do not kill or exile politicians who mislead us. We choose representatives to make decisions on our behalf. Our civic responsibilities are hardly ever enforced. Occasionally, we make our way to a conveniently located polling station, cast our vote in private, and trust...Continue reading
For the 2020 Research Project click here. The November 2017 Symposium event convened by newDemocracy sought to challenge opinion leaders by asking them what practical testable improvements could be made to our democracy in order to improve public trust in how we take public decisions. It sought to move the discussion from one of complaint about...Continue reading
This inquiry being held by the NSW Upper House’s Procedures Committee has two terms of reference: one on the usage of Green and White Papers as cornerstones of government policy development, and the second on the applicability for using deliberative processes to assist the parliament when bills are highly contentious. Those interested in this work...Continue reading
Submission to the Senate Inquiry into Nationhood, National Identity and Democracy If you only read (and perhaps share) one government discussion paper this year, then make it this one. In a concise 8pg document the Federal Senate has outlined global threats to democracy across the world and its scope to affect Australia. This is exactly...Continue reading
After each election (state and federal) a joint committee holds an inquiry into its conduct as an opportunity for any concerns to be aired, and we take this opportunity inject opportunities for democratic innovation. This paper advocates five concepts – That everyday people should be a central part of the election review due to the...Continue reading
We thank the Electoral Matters Committee for the invitation to make a submission. Around the world, confidence in representative democracy is under siege. Citizens are moving beyond cynicism to disengagement, and the potential for further decline is clear. Viewed more positively, it is clear that a jurisdiction that successfully finds a way to counter this...Continue reading
Mark Easton speaks on BBC Radio 4 about the upcoming UK Citizens’ Convention.
You can read the Citizens’ Jury’s full report here. In its Sydney 2050 plan, the City of Sydney will listen to the community and then outline what it sees as the shared future vision of what the city can become. The City has engaged newDemocracy to design and provide oversight of the Citizens’ Jury. We will...Continue reading
Over the last ten years, we have been approached many times with requests to get involved in a project relating to the media environment – a request we have always refused. Why? We think there are two ways to define and discuss democracy. One is to take a broad view where we think of democracy...Continue reading
Longer terms for federal Parliament, an independent speaker and Senate president, curbs on donations and even changing the seating arrangements for MPs are among the recommendations of a panel of academics, former politicians and industry chiefs designed to restore faith in Australia’s “fraying” democracy. A report entitled Reforming our Democracy and published by the University...Continue reading